Airbus and Boeing aim at each other in advertising spat.

CNN prospects weighed under Jeff Zucker.

Canadian Club launches "Join the Club" red-meat campaign.

Carnival apologizes to gay passengers after forbidding drag dress on cruise.

Chevrolet sees Volt ranked as best-loved car by Consumer Reports.

Costco to spend $3 billion on special dividend ahead of fiscal cliff.

Exxon faces short-term shortage of oil supplies.Continue reading...

Canadian Club is building on its 2010 “Escape” advertising campaign with this summer’s “Here’s to Your Adventure,” which includes TV and billboard spots, peaking during Canada Day celebrations on July 1st. The spots revisit the hero’s adventures as he is pursued through a forest and his sharing of the story with friends over a glass of Canadian Club. The national TV campaign will align with a regional launch of pre-mixed Canadian Club & Ginger and Canadian Club & Cola beverages in Alberta.

“Here’s to Your Adventure” follows in the wake of Canadian Club’s Hide a Case promotion, in which four Canadians and four Americans searched for a case of Canadian Club (and a prize of $100,000) on the island of Tonga. The promotion originally started in 1967 and Canadian Club says it is the longest-running promotional campaign in the spirits industry.Continue reading...

Some brand owners see strategic value in consolidating their brands under a unified corporate structure, using size to leverage its marketing power and achieve economies of scale. This makes perfect sense when a company manages many brands in similar categories that serve similar markets, as in the case of Procter & Gamble.

But then there are those companies whose brand holdings are in diverse categories, each of which requires a specialized approach to marketing and distribution. In this case, a consolidated business model may become a barrier to further growth.

So it is with Fortune Brands, which has announced its intention to separate the company into three unique businesses representing its distinct consumer product lines.Continue reading...

Apple CEO Steve Jobs is named "CEO of the Decade" by MarketWatch, with Ford CEO Alan Mulally named "CEO of the Year."

BMW reports highest global sales growth so far this year.

Cheesecake Factory inks credit line for expansion next year.

CNN says Parker Spitzer talk show keeps rising amid the tensions.

Fortune Brands splits into three companies: spirits (Jim Beam, Canadian Club), home (Moen faucets) and a golf business.

Hyundai signs extended global FIFA World Cup sponsorship deal.Continue reading...

Canadian Club whisky, or “C.C.” in common parlance, long ago hit skid row. Once a top-shelf liquor choice but long since fallen on hard times, the brand is refreshing its image by turning back the clock. As a major marketing partner of HBO’s Boardwalk Empire, C.C. is claiming a piece of the show’s Prohibition-era glamour for itself.
 
On the show, Canadian Club is the imported liquor of choice, generously product-placed (and heartily imbibed) in the sordid but dazzling crime world of Atlantic City in the early ‘20s. But the deal doesn’t just play out onscreen. You may have noticed real-world liquor stores and wine shops decked out with signage for the show, and several major cities have hosted speakeasy-themed special events to tout the partnership of Boardwalk Empire and C.C.

There’s no doubt that the lure of the forbidden adds a spark to any experience. This is part of the magic of the Prohibition-era setting, when alcohol was sipped surreptitiously. Like many a taboo, this association could add a shot of sparkle to the C.C. brand. Chase it down with the sexy sepia glow of nostalgia for added luster. Now considered a well whiskey rather than a gentleman’s choice, C.C  was both more popular and a classier selection in the ’20s. By associating today’s C.C. with the brand’s glory days, it could climb back towards the top.Continue reading...